March Matness 2016: #seal and #crab

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When I get to Seal in my Pilates Mat workout I always feel like it’s a little treat!  First of all I know I’m getting close to the end of my workout and second I get to roll which is one of my favorite things to do!  Both of these exercises (Seal & Crab) really start with being able to do the Roll Back or Rolling Like a Ball exercise that we do pretty early on in our Pilates Mat sequence.  Changing the hand position on each of these exercises makes them more challenging and requires a bit more flexibility, strength and balance in the body.  If the change of hand position feels like too much, simply substitute your favorite version of rolling like a ball here!

 

 

March Matness 2016: #boomerang

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Roll Down, Teaser, Open Leg Rocker, Spine Stretch, and Rowings all put into one exercise is what I love about Boomerang.  As a teacher I love the progression and the getting there of Boomerang.(You won’t be doing this one on your first session!!)  This exercise really ties together so many other exercises and movements that you really need to have an established practice knowing those movements and skills first before you tie them all together or I promise you will just be frustrated and it won’t make sense.   If taught when a client is ready it is such a beautiful thing to watch clients put together all the pieces of Pilates and really be able to feel the essence of the work all in one exercise.

March Matness 2016: The Side Bend

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The Side Bend exercise is great for overall strength and specifically for increasing mobility and flexibility in your spine laterally.  Other exercises in the Pilates method that are also great to practice this side bending movement in your body are:

  • Side Arm on Tower or Cadillac
  • Mermaid on the Reformer
  • Side Laterals on the chair
  • Side Bends using the High Barrel

 

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Side Arm on the Tower

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Mermaid on the Reformer

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Side Laterals on the Pilates Chair

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Side Bends on the High Barrel

 

 

March Matness 2016: #kneelingsidekick

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What could be better than a Side Leg Kick?  Side Leg Kicks kneeling of course!  By taking away a lot of contact points with the mat versus the version where we lay on our hip, the Side Leg Kick kneeling challenges our balance and stability even more while sweeping your leg front to back.

In Return to Life, Joseph Pilates says,” Keep head up, elbow back,chest out and abdomen in.  Keep body rigid:move leg only.  Inhale quickly when swinging leg forcibly forward. Exhale quickly when swinging leg forcibly backward.”

March Matness 2016: Leg Pull Front and Leg Pull

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Just holding a plank is not part of Joseph Pilates Mat sequence but the Leg Pull Front and Leg Pull exercises are basically plank variations that use all your Pilates principles and concepts!  The best way to practice being able to do these challenging Pilates exercises would be to start with your basic plank.  Watch our video below to get some tips on how to do your best plank!

 

March Matness 2016: Swimming

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Swimming is one of the Pilates exercises I have a love/hate relationship for..maybe you can relate?  Because it is a challenge for me to lift my body off the mat into an extension from this prone position this exercise is really difficult for me and I feel like I’m not doing it very well because I don’t have a big range of motion with my arms and legs.  This is why I don’t like it…it’s hard for me!  At the same time I know that it is exactly what my body needs and so I am trying to love the challenge of doing it well and not be so critical of myself as I do it! I’m focusing on strengthening my muscles uniformly while practicing at a working level for my body.

If you, like me and much of the rest of the world live in a world of flexion( slouching at the computer, forward head staring at a screen) you can easily see how strengthening the muscles that help reverse all that slouching and poor posture would help:

  • maintain better posture and alignment in your body
  • and hopefully help you avoid problems like an achy sore low back and tight overworked muscles in your shoulders and neck

The Pilates Swimming exercise will help you do just these things!! These are the things I try to remind myself of every time I do this exercise(and every time I think about skipping it in my workout!!)

In today’s video I’m showing you my favorite version of swimming that I try to do on a regular basis.  I’m using a small padded barrel under my hips because it allows me to lift away from the mat and get just a little more range of movement in my arms and legs.  I like to start with just lifting into the swimming position and lowering from it.  Then I lift into position and hold as I swim- alternating legs and arms lifting.